The “BBC” portal has published the conversation of its Moscow correspondent with the mother of a fallen soldier, who reveals what is happening in Russia.
On February 20, Valya received a call from his son in the Russian army. His unit was on “training” near the Ukrainian border. “He said that they are busy shooting and living in tents,” Valya says. “That was the last time I spoke to him.”
Russia’s offensive has brought untold suffering to its neighbor. Thousands of civilians have been killed since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Vala is not her real name. Fearing reprisals from the authorities for speaking out, the mother has asked that her identity be withheld.
“Eventually, the sergeant I spoke to said to me, ‘Your son’s last contact was on February 23rd.
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“So why did you call [lai pateiktu, ka viss ir kārtībā]? Just to appease us?”
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“Sorry, I’m just a sergeant,” he said.
Valya tried to find out more. “I was writing for my son’s department,” she recalls.
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“I wrote to the military district office. I wrote to the Ministry of Defence. And then I wrote to all of them again.
“No one has given me the basic information: where, when and how my son disappeared. All I’ve been told is that he was part of a ‘special military operation’ and that he’s gone.”
How many Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine? In Russia, reporting anything other than the official figures is a criminal offence. But official numbers are hard to come by. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not updated the official military casualty count since March 25.
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Russia condemns Ukrainian soldiers and officials as “ultranationalists” and “Nazis”. They claim that Ukraine is the aggressor and Russia is the liberator.
But Valya does not consider Ukraine an enemy.
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“If our country had been attacked like this, we would defend ourselves like they did. We would defend ourselves and we would also be angry,” she says.
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Many Russians really believe the official government position and support the “special military operation” as presented to them by state television. In Russia, the Kremlin controls TV and therefore messaging.
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But not completely. Valya communicates with mothers of soldiers all over Russia. She claims that resentment against the authorities is growing among mothers. “They hate the government. They hate Putin,” says Valya. “They all want this war to end. That’s what all mothers think.”
“We are the lowest class. We are simply country people. All the guys who take part in the battles are from remote regions of Russia. Not Muscovites. There are no sons of government officials there,” says Valya.
Since talking with us, Valya has received an official notification that her son has been killed in Ukraine. Another Russian soldier who will not return home.
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